The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-02-26
an THE RAIL.
January 80, 1885.

an THE RAIL.
January 90, 1888.
In. GRENADA GAZETTE:
Dsar Ssr,-Thinking your manl
xsaders and my friends would like t,
hear something more of my trip,
send these lines for publication.
After q stay Of two days will
friends in Erath county, resumed
my travels, 7 find this part Of tAt
lone Star State very poor and unin'
yitins; the timber consists of a very
spyahby growth Of post oak, with q
Asayy growth Of under-brush called
A.hipnies," the appropriateness Of
which is abundantly seen on the
shiRs of every pan and horse In the
country. The soil is a yellow sand OF
efsat depth, and much Of the surface
oaysred with emence lodges of sand
raok, perfectly worthless save to
pgmher the ground. Occasionally q
amall valley with some little signs Of
civilization, such as few acres en-
el0eed with post oak rails six feet
long, and q pole cabin the sight of
which would bring q blush to the
most worthless negro in Mississippi.
But the most unhesrable Of all else
Is the constant gale from the snow
capped mountains of the Northwest,
which is hard enough to take the hay
out Of a cow in fifteen minutes, and
chill a man through before red-hot
ptoye, and quite enough to prevent
my ever becoming q citizen thereof.
Well, in few hours after boarding
the train we were traysrsing the vast
prairies of western Texas, the home
OF the cowboy. 80 many beautiful
towns dot these barren plains-all
built on the most modern plans and
latest styles of architecture, with
every sign of wealth and enterprise,
with not mark Of the plow=share to
be seen; not so much as garden
depending wholly upon the natural
resources of the country for living.
These plains are watered mainly by |
artssiap wells, but they are only as
osses In a vast desert. u
Colorado City is beautiful town of
ton thousand people, situated among !
the rocks and hills Of Colorado river,
aud Ia specially noted for being the
home of the cattle kings. Their mag
nlaoent mansions can be seen tower
Ing above all others, as If to say to the
toihng millions 1--WE are no longer
hswers of wood and drawers of wa
ter" After leaving this place we
could see nothing upon which to rest
the eye save the long lines of wire
fencing which sometimes would con-
tinus for forty miles without divis-
lon; and to my disappointment but
few stock to be seen. Occasionally a
broken herd Of cattle could be seen
wandering over the parohed earth in
search Of water; their means and
abandon look would excite the SYM
pathy of the most hardened criminal
II any age. Yet they are in good con-
1ition.
The grass is one of the wonderful
'rovidences Of this country. Just
mink Of the entire West being one
'ast bayfield,, ripe unto the harvest .
Or Ito herds or the sickle, without the
'gency Of man. The modern rake
md press can be seen all around,
moving, raking, binding and ship n
ing to the Eastern farmer who d
pends his time and money trying to v
estroy 1t (his best friend.) What a b
Mistake civilization has made in q
reaking the native sod, west of the
'rassas river. But man in his greed
nd avarice has destroyed one Of the p
est grass countries KIN own to civil. u
alton. B
After travelling one hundred miles "
ON Colorado City, the mountain
ses to our view on either side as we Of
escend the slope toward the Rio al
rande valley. We arrived at Ell k
aso at night, and being anxious to al
'e all, we were out looking. While
was not what We expected to see, ),
1t on account Of its many railroads, ~
10 quite . town, situated % 1t 10 on y
% bank Of the Rio Grande river, sur ~
unded by . low, swsmpy country,
Lcept on the north where stands Q n,